STAFFORD – Now that the New Jersey State Assembly has resumed its sessions for 2024, District 9 has its first freshman member in over a decade. Greg Myhre, 48, who served as the mayor of Stafford for the last five years, is excited to make a difference at a state level.
Myhre, a Republican, won the seat in the November 2023 election and will join incumbent Brian Rumpf, also a Republican. Republican Carmen Amato leaves his seat as the mayor of Berkeley to represent District 9 as a state senate member.
District 9 covers 19 municipalities in Ocean County, including Barnegat, Beachwood, Berkeley, Lacey, Little Egg Harbor, Manchester, Ocean Gate, Stafford, and Tuckerton.
Myhre said he decided to run for the Assembly to bring his experience and perspective as a local leader to Trenton.
“I think it will be helpful to have someone in the assembly who’s actually served in local government,” said Myhre. “And sees the direct impact of decisions made by state legislators on people in local communities.”
According to Myhre, unfunded mandates by the state poses challenges for towns because they have to follow new laws that will impact municipal budgets.
He emphasized that a critical concern for him is the fiscal health of the state. He also highlighted a significant problem related to illegal immigration, observing its impact on communities across the state. While acknowledging it as a federal issue, Myhre expressed the belief that the state’s leniency has made it a magnet for related challenges.
“I think people in our district have a similar mindset in what they’re looking for,” added Myhre. “They’re looking for a strong constitutional conservative, and that’s how I see myself.”
“I want to make sure we adhere to the United States Constitution and the New Jersey Constitution,” Myhre continued. “We are expected to make laws and should follow the laws that are already on the books. That’s why I brought up the issue of illegal immigration – because people are scratching their heads about why we are rewarding people who did not follow the rules to get here or overstayed their visas.”
A relative newcomer to politics, Myhre can easily be described as tenacious. Notably, he faced setbacks in his initial forays, experiencing defeat in both the 2014 Southern Regional School Board election and the 2015 Stafford Township Council race. Undeterred, he opted for a significant undertaking in 2018, running for the position of township mayor – and won.
“When I campaigned in 2015, people weren’t as concerned with where we were as a township in 2018,” shared Myhre. “It was very palpable that people wanted change – they thanked me for running.”
Recognizing the urgent need for infrastructure improvements, he focused on critical areas such as the sewers in Beach Haven West, which had not received proper attention since their construction six decades ago.
Myhre said he learned from Stafford’s Water and Sewer Superintendent that personnel were routinely deployed to manage sewage flow through the system, a task ideally reserved for emergencies in a well-functioning sewer. The persistence of this issue, coupled with the proximity to water, raised concerns about potential ecological disasters from a major break.
Recognizing the longstanding problem, Myhre expanded the scope beyond individual streets. Opting for a comprehensive approach, he engaged water and sewer engineers to assess the entire neighborhood, leading to the development of a multi-phase project now entering phase six.
Like many municipal leaders, Myhre heard many taxpayers express grievances related to the paving of local roads. During his tenure, the town devised a systematic approach to pinpoint areas presenting issues falling within the municipality’s jurisdiction.
“We had so many people in different parts of town that wanted to have their roads addressed,” said Myhre. “We decided the fairest way to do so would be to have a road rating.”
“We sent our engineer out along with our Public Works Department,” Myhre continued. “And they did a top to bottom assessment of every road in town and gave it a rating.”
The rating can be found on the township website. Residents can conveniently check the schedule for road repaving to ascertain when their street is due for maintenance. Some issues are on roads owned by the county or state, and are promptly forwarded to the relevant authorities.
“Every year, we get money from the state to improve certain roadways,” shared Myhre. “We make sure we take advantage of that every year, which is a state grant that is really just getting tax money back.”
Myhre secured voter approval for a second term as mayor. As he transitions to the Assembly, the residents of Stafford can rely on him to advocate for their local concerns at the state level. However, Myhre’s shift from mayor to assemblyman is not the only impending change on the horizon.
During Plumsted Township’s reorganization meeting, Myhre received a vote of approval as the township’s new business administrator. This transition marks a shift in Myhre’s professional career from the private sector to the public sector.
“I’ve known Mayor (Dominick) Cuozzo for a short period of time, and he’s shared his vision for the town,” said Myhre. “He was impressed by what we were able do here in Stafford and asked if it was something I’d be interested in doing.”
Myhre said that up until now, he’s worked in somewhat of a hybrid position for a network integration firm. His responsibilities encompass serving as an operations manager, overseeing tasks ranging from finance to technical aspects, and managing product development and logistics. He also interacts with numerous contractors and vendors in his current professional capacity.
“Being familiar with how government works for the last five years is a definite benefit,” Myhre said. “In the private sector, you can start implementing your plans right away. In government, you may have the money available, but you might have to get votes to make things happen.”
A resident of the Ocean Acres section of Stafford, Myhre lives with his wife Amber, and their three children, Gunnar, 12, Annika, 10, and Aksel, 7. Myhre holds a Bachelor of Science degree in geography from the University of Maryland and a graduate certificate in Geospatial Intelligence from Pennsylvania State University.
